Driving under the influence of marijuana has been illegal in Colorado well before Amendment 64 made the personal possession of an ounce of pot legal for adults 21 and up in that state. But with the newfound freedom to get legally stoned has come an increased push to curb stoned driving and to get the word out that Colorado cops will be writing marijuana DUIs.

But us stoners don't really take to dry, government propaganda very well. So instead of simply handing out fliers with recreational pot purchases that will get tossed away as soon as the customer gets home and lights up a bowl, the Colorado Department of Transportation is trying their hand at a more comedic approach.

In the three videos below, CDOT pokes a little fun at the pot crowd by reminding us that while hanging your TV stoned, playing basketball high and grilling while baked out of your mind is now legal, getting behind the wheel isn't. They say the ads are targeted at young males, which they've identified as the largest group of pot consumers somehow.

As CDOT put it in a press release this week: "People do not necessarily associate being high with two things: one, that they are impaired. And number two: that they can get a DUI as a result of that."

The commercials are also noteworthy in that they really are the first government-produced ads in Colorado that directly address the limited cannabis legalization -- and they do it without using blood, death and destruction as a fear tactic. Check out the videos below, and let us know what you think of the campaign in the comments:

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I am a bit shocked that they (CDOT?) have this view of people who use marijuana, stoners or not.

How many guys have you seen IRL playing basketball or frisbee stoned?

I can go back to 1972 and start counting, but actually, it depends on the weed. Some pot has the

couch-lock effect and is really good for those who have severe medical conditions or are recovering from surgery or other medical issues. Then there is the stuff that gives you focus. I know of people, artists included, who like that type of buzz, and they can work better "under the influence" and it is also good for

medical issues. Many other types. The kind that puts you to sleep: good for migraines or insomnia.

I know people who were insulted by the ads, but I just thought it showed (again, like Reefer Madness)

a sad lack of knowledge and figure that most people who toke will ignore the rest of the message.

The guy with the grill? WHO are those people at his barbque??? IRL, they would be helping him, probably toking too, and someone would have checked beforehand to be sure that there was gas.

Ludicrous and ignorant.

The basketball player? Doubt it.

People have been smoking pot for over 40 years and know enough not to drive under the influence.

Really. It is part of driving responsibly. Parents should teach their teens not to drive under the influence of anything: alcohol, pot, prescription drugs and remind them that if stopped, they will lose their driving privileges.

Adults should already know this.

As some one else brought up, I will add my credentials too. I have smoked for over 40 years. I have raised 4 kids, been part of rescuing animals and protecting animal rights, owned my own company, I think I am fairly well-educated and well-informed.

Unfortunately, those who want to get involved in this issue are not, and don't know what they are talking about. I understand the CDOT supposed issue, but when was the last time they mounted a campaign to keep drivers under the influence of pharmaceutical medications off the road?

Offensive & exaggerated because sober people do stupid shit all the time too, its called being human. But i cant lie & say i didnt see humor in watching that tv fall after the hi 5....& the bbq grill guy love him too

As a very educated cannabis smoker who is honest about pot (like the fact it is kind of minimally bad for undeveloped brains (frontal lobe damage), aka people under 25)

I will admit...This ad thing is good, so long as the video isn't HORRIBLY portraying the "stoner" spaced out guy. The grill one, that was gold. I laughed and it was a good message. The others, especially the basketball one, were pretty obvious crap.

The TV one was so pathetically bad as well... nobody, not even a new stoner, would completely zone into food and drop everything when they notice that dinner is ready... give me a break. That one went over the line.

The basketball one was simply not funny, and had a NO corelation with marijuana

The grill one, I am pretty sure I saw a stoner do that exact thing (forget propane) and that was not even 1 month ago! haha

Meanwhile, people continue to drive up to bars, go inside, get impaired, and then come out and drive off...from what I am seeing being reported in the news, drunks seem to be causing most of the problems on the road. Yet, the bars and breweries are all still in business.

How about the guy looking at the candy or auto supply parts just mindlessly staring at the shelves. . . . ummmm what was I looking for. hehehehe yes I agree I have been functioning high most of my life and I am a very responsible person with a perfect criminal history and driving record. The problem is when u r a newbie and a couple of puffs lays your ass out for several hours. . . ah the good old days. Now even extreme smokers can get totally wasted again with edibles and bho. . . don't lie some of you cant stand straight after having that shit ;) lol peace my brothers . . . . I do stare at a lot of shelves hahahaha

We may have shed the Reefer Madness stereotypes, but now we have to undo the damage done by Cheech and Chong, Harold and Kumar, and Jay and Silent Bob. People need to understand that those characters are satire, that they don't represent cannabis users any more than the Three Stooges are an accurate portrayal of straight folk. Sure, there's much to laugh about in stoner culture, but mockery shouldn't be the basis for policy.

@kadargo True, but that is the crappier counter-argument. The fact is these things are safe so long as there is laws in place preventing mentally slow people from accessing it. Mentally unstable people should not be able to go and buy liquor, but they allow it. Same goes for cannabis, I dont think mentally unstable people shoud be given rights to things that alter ones mind. The key is to not overuse cannabis and drive. I've seen 100's (literally) of people drive across the USA with no bad driving record, smoking joints and never getting into crashes. look on youtube, many people will gladly show them smoking on a road trip!. People need to wake up if they think people are driving more on pot now that it is legal.... I cannot even count on my hands, the people i know near florida college towns... easily HUNDREDS or even thousands of people in those towns smoke on a daily basis and drive around even though pot is still illegal there (until next year probably when it goes legal) You do not hear about it because guess what..... THERE IS NO WRECKS CAUSED BY MARIJUANA. It causes you to be more aware and cautiously paranoid, not spaced out...... at least for me, anyways.

@DavieDavidson I get your point. Thanks. My point is that while all the hoopla is going on about stoned drivers, bar and breweries and sporting events for that matter continue to enable impaired drivers on our roads. While all the fear is going on about kids getting their hands on cannabis, kids continue to get their hands on alcohol, tobacco, and their parents prescription medicine. Maybe those people should take care of the far more harmful things going on before they rise up yet again against a substance that doesn't cause nearly the problems for the consumer or society, not to mention has never killed anyone on overdose.

Before we get all worried about stoners on the roads that don't seem to be causing many problems, maybe we should focus on the source of drunks on our roads. They seem to be causing lots of problems. I see those problems being reported in the news all the time. Yet, nothing more than DUI laws go in place and then the focus turns to all the stoners on the road, that again, don't seem to be causing as many problems as the drunks on the road. Idiots.